I was so heart-broken, that day, when they left me alone. Even the sky was; because the stars disappeared as soon as they walked away. But I was only six then. I didn't understand that as a queen and a crown princess, they had other things to attend to. More important things to attend to. More important than spending time with me.
But what is my purpose? I have no idea. I bet no one in Auradoria would. Besides those who live here in the palace, no one even knows I exist. I am like one of those nameless characters in the background of their story.
I pick at a piece of thread that's poking out of my bedcover, while replaying our latest argument in my head. It's my sixteenth birthday today. MY BIRTHDAY. Yet still it didn't prevent them from bailing on me. No, they literally left me to spend it alone.
I look out the window. The sky's fire is getting weaker. It will be dark soon. Great, now my birthday is almost over.
"Don't worry, Scarlie. I would never miss out on my little girl's birthday for the world." She assured.
Yeah right.
Soon, the sky's fire dies. The palace lights follow, leaving only my fire to illuminate the room. I look down at my platinum gown and sigh, flopping onto the bed, too lazy to struggle out of it. I was supposed to have a lady-in-waiting to help me with this, like every other member of the royal family, but no one wanted to be forced to spend this much time with a 'freak'.
I bolt awake at a loud thumping sound, almost as if the palace is shaking. No one should be awake right now. I curiously make my way across room, towards the door. It blinks at me a couple of times with its mechanical eyes at the top, then slides open to reveal an unexpectedly busy corridor.
Something is wrong; I can tell from the horrified faces that race by.
"Excuse me." I call after one of the staff members rushing by, but she pretends like she didn't hear me and scurries off.
I sigh exasperatedly, and rush to grab another one before she runs away.
"Y-yes, m-miss." She stutters, her eyes landing on everything but my ocean-blue ones.
"If it makes you feel better…" I close my eyes and turn my head to the other direction. "Here. Better?"
"N-no miss, I-it's all okay."
I shake my head in disbelief. "Anyway, what is going on? Why is everyone running like this? After dark?"
"I-it's h-her majesty, m-miss."
My heart starts to beat faster, as dark thoughts fill my mind. "What do you mean? What happened to mother?"
I feel her muscles tense, as my grip unintentionally tightens."H-how about y-you go a-and see her for y-yourself? Sh-she w-wanted t-to see y-you anyways."
"Alright."
She waits a little, then. "C-can I-I go n-now?"
"Of course." I release her, and she runs away.
"Mother!" I call out, as I run through the sliding doors of her chamber.
Her once regal figure lays weakly. Her fire is barely the size of a candle flame. Her arm is as white as death, displaying a whole network of veins underneath.
Next to her, Amber is kneeling on the floor. Both are staring back at me. Clearly, I have interrupted yet another important conversation between the Queen and her Crown Princess. I sigh and make my way to a corner, where I can make myself as invisible as possible.
"It must be her!" One of mother's ladies-in-waiting points an accusing finger directly at me. "With those monstrous blue eyes of hers. She must have frozen the queen. They had an argument today, didn't they? And then later at night, we find her freezing to death. You think it's a coincidence?"
"I-I didn't." I deny defensively. "Yes, my eyes are blue, but that doesn't mean I-"
"Luna, she didn't. I know." Mother's other lady-in-waiting, the older one, rushes to her side, which makes me sigh with relief.
"B-but." The other one － Luna － urges. "Look at her."
Mother shoots her a look. "Scarlotte didn't do anything to me, Luna." She turns to Amber."So, as I was saying, remember Amber, you have a lot of people around you who you can ask for assistance and advice from. The biggest mistake a leader can make is thinking that they have to do everything alone…" She tells Amber while running her fingers through the dancing fire on top of her head.
What I don't understand how did this happen? Who would want mother dead? I know I said I did earlier, but I didn't mean it. I was only angry. I don't want mother to freeze and die.
"Scarlotte." Mother calls. "I need to talk to you."
Here it comes: the lecture about my behaviour earlier. I take a deep breath, and stare down at my feet as they march towards her bed. Unfortunately, the distance is way shorter than I had hoped. It isn't enough to come up with something to say.
"Sit."
I silently obey and kneel on the floor next to my sister.
"Now, about that little tantrum of yours, I know you know that things are hard for a queen; there is a lot to do, a whole world to take care of, plenty of needy people to please, and so on. Amber doesn't need a sister who will make things harder, every time she has to do something, just because 'you feel left out'. I hope this never happens again. You should your sister during her reign. Is that clear?"
"Yes, mother." I nod. "I am sorry."
She stares at me silently for a while and then smiles. "I love you a lot, Scarlie. Always remember that."
"I love you too, mother."
She drags her good hand to my face, grazes my cheek, right under my eye and stares into my eyes for a moment. "Your eyes are the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen."
I smile, as a cloud of tears forms in front of me. "Thanks."
"The doctor arrived."
All eyes dart the sliding double-doors.
"The doctor arrived." Lady Elanor repeats, as she drags an old man through the door.
"Excuse me." He demands, and the other lady-in-waiting － not Luna － quickly moves away to give him some space to work.
Luna rushes to offer him a seat, on which he settles down, and searches through the briefcase on his lap.
"I am sorry." Lady Elanor apologizes to mother. The rest of the sentence is passed as a silent message during a brief moment of eye contact, which mother acknowledges with a smile and a blink.
"I thought you always said that we should never question the queen, Elanor." Father springs up from a far seat in the room. I honestly didn't notice his presence earlier.
"Yes, Tyron." She spits his name with the same hostility he used.
"Then why are you disobeying her now?" He challenges.
"Queen's business, stay out of it." She looks away from him, and focuses her attention with the doctor instead.
He pulls a thermometer from his briefcase, and seems shocked at the results. He shakes it, tries again but his expression doesn't change. He then tries it on himself, and his eyes curiously bounce between the device and mother's arm. He hesitantly touches her arm.
"Ouch!" He yelps and pulls away.
"Can you help her?" Lady Elanor asks over his shoulder. "Can you thaw her arm?"
He blinks a few times at the dead-white limb. "Um…I can't really thaw it. This is really frozen, to the core. Out of curiosity, how long has it been like this?"
"Around twenty-three years." She replied with an almost inaudible voice.
"TWENTY-THREE YEARS! WHY DIDN'T YOU CONSIDER SHOWING IT TO ME LIKE TWENTY-THREE YEARS AGO? DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE SURE IT'S FROZEN BEYOND REPAIR?"
"So… you… can't help her?"
"No, I can. Hold on." He starts searching through the briefcase again, until he pulls out a tiny notebook and starts skimming through the pages. "There. All I need is… I have this, … okay, … I've got that, … uh-um, I will need something water-tolerant."
"Where can we find something like that?" Asks Lady Elanor with disappointment. "Does such a thing even exist in Auradoria?"
"How about water lilies? They usually float on River Adrien, back in Allure." Suggests Luna.
"That will work." He tilts his head to the side. "But if someone is going to travel all the way to Allure, they better make it fast. Her Majesty doesn't have much time. A week if she is lucky."
"I'll have a meeting first thing when the sky burns to discuss this." Father announces so coolly, as if it's not an emergency at all.
"T-this w-ill t-take a-a l-long t-time." Amber says between sniffs. Her voice is muffled by mother's mattress, in which her head is buried. She then lifts her face up and takes a deep breath. "It will take a long time to summon all the mayors of the other cities and the advisers. Besides, it's not such a public decision." She pauses for a moment, and then with courage and determination. "I'll go."
I shake my head and sigh. "No, Amber. I'll go. Since mother is … not all right, Auradoria will look at you for leadership. You have to stay here. I'll go."
"No one is going anywhere." Father concludes harshly.
"What!" Lady Elanor snaps, then takes a deep breath as an attempt to calm herself down. "We need to get lilies from Allure. And Amber is right. This is a matter that should stay within the palace walls. Informing others about this will only lead to chaos and slow us down. We need to save the queen in time. And I personally believe that nobody would want that. Would they?" She asks with a challenging tone.
"Off course not." Despite his attempts to sound neutral, it is obvious that he is not. "I simply don't think Scarlotte is the most fit person for the job. She lived her entire life here in the palace and has never been to Allure before."
"I think I can handle it." I retort. "I have studied the maps of Auradoria by heart. Besides, does it really need an expert to simply ask a transporter to go there?"
"See." Father throws an arm at me. "This is proof that she can't go."
Lady Elanor shakes her head with irritation. "Fine, if that's your problem…" She turns to Luna. "Luna can accompany Scarlotte to Allure. She grew up there. I assume that should solve your 'she has never been to Allure before' problem?"
But Luna is looking at her wide-eyed. "What? Why me? Why do I have to be the one to go anywhere with-with-with her?" She doesn't even bother to mask her fear and disgust.
Lady Elanor shoots her a sharp look. "She can't harm you, Luna."
"How can you be so sure? Look at her."
"That's enough. You are going to Allure, period."